Motor-vehicle transmission mechanism



Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED STATES wnn'rnnnonrlnorr; or ma ma AUSTBJLA MOTOR-VEHICLE TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Application filed March's, 1928, Serial No. 255502, and in; Austria March 26, 1327.

My in en on r ine t v mo r V l transmission mechanism, more particularly to that type wherein the axle sections'arearrangedfor pivotal movement as an incident 5 to reducing the unsprung weight, and it'has for its object to provide apparatus of this character such that the gear elements may be supported in proper meshing relation and maintainedin' that: relation for a compara- 1Q, tively long time.

In accordance wlth my invention, the bean.

ings. of each wheel driven from the transmission are mounted in a swinging piece or bracket "member, and the swinging-bracket members ot the transmission areso arranged as to securethe same exactness with respect to relative positions of the gears as if the wheels and their bearings were mounted in fixed relation with respect to the'machine frame. To this end, the mechanism embodies bracket members pivotally connected together and arranged to support, orjbevconnected to, the associatedvehicjle wheels, the; bracket members carrying. intermediately thereof bevel gears which mesh with bevel pinions carried by suitable bearingportions provided on the bracket members, the bevel pini0ns.being aligned with the pivotal axis of the bracket members and being driven by suitable telescopic shaft conne'ctions. The 'manner of supporting the various gears, that is, having the bevel gears carried by jintermediateibearing portions of the brac'ketmembers andlhaving the bevel pinions carried by as terminal bearing portions on the bracket members, togetherwith the improved beare ing relation existing between the bracket me ber ssures 1 h t prop r mesh ng; relation of the gears'maybe secured and ma n- 40 tamed.

Apparatus made in accordance with my invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawing: showinga sectional Viewv of my ima m emen The telescopic shafts including an inner intermediatefofjthe length of the vehicle.

Theouter hollow shaftb is connected at its inner end to abevel pinion 0, which meshes with a,' .be;vel gear cl, the latter being supported andconnected to an axle section! The inner shatt' 'd fextendsfthrough the hollow shaft Z), thebevel pinion 0, and it is connected to'abev elpini'o n 'emeshing with a bevel gear farrang'ed in opposed relation to the bevel gearda'ndconnected to the other axle section. vehicle iwheels (not shown) are supported by' theaxle tubes 2' and'la and the veliiclefiwheels e' driven by theshafts Z, and m'fai'ranged' within the tubes z' and 7c and connected to the bevel gears and f, respectively. 'Referringnow 'toithe" means for supporting thegea rs, shaftsvand the axle sections I provide" pivotal piece 'or brackefl'members. The bracket member n has an intermediate bearing-portion short arm n? and a long arjni' nfithe'short arm terminating in a trunnionplorti'oni'n, and the long arm terminating in sleeve bearing portionm', theaxis or" the trunnion n"an'd of the sleeve bearing portion n being arranged mormally with respect to the intermediate bearing portion 77,; Like- Wise, "the bracket member or-piece 0 has an intermediate bearing'portion 0 arms 0 and 0 3th; 'arin's terminating in the trunnion and b arin po tio sw'a d 04 respectively.

'The'gears anchthei bracket members 0 and nare'arranged within a housing p preferably fixedly secured to the vehicle name; The housing is provided with, diametrically opposed and inwardly extending bearing sleeve portions 12, and p that is; sleeves having inner 'ajnd'outer cylindrical bearing surfaces, the linner' cylindrical bearing surfaces cooperating with the external cylindrical bearing surfaces ofthe trunnion portions n and 0 and: the externalcylindrical bearing surfaces cooperating with the internal bearing surfaces of the bearing sleeve portions n and 0 In this way, it is assured that the bracket members or pieces n and 0 may be secured in pivotal relation in a very accurate way, particularly as the bearing sleeve portions 79 and p of the housing are each arranged to support the adjacent terminal hearing portions of both bracket members. As the driving pinions 0 and e are carried by the trunnion portions 0 and a and the gears (Z and f are carried by the intermediate bearing portions 02 and 0, coaxial relation of the bracket member pivot means being secured and maintained by the apparatus just referred to, accurate meshing relation of the gears results and one which is maintained even though associated shafts and bearings therefor should undergo considerable wear.

The housing 79 is provided with suitably large lateral openings to permit of the requisite up and down pivotal movement of the axial tubes 2' and 7c and suitable flexible cuffs are provided in connection with the openings and with the axial tubes to close the housmg.

If, for any reason, for example, due to relative wear, the shafts a and I) should not be required to be exactly in coaxial relation'with respect to the driving bevel pinions c and 6, then suitable relative lateral movement may be provided between the respective shafts and pinions by means of the couplings g and It. If desired, similar couplings may be arranged between the bevel gears 03 and f and the driving axial shaft sections Z and m.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided an arrangement for supporting the gearing of a motor vehicle transmission mechanism of the type embodying pivotally mounted axle sections wherein the pivotal members are so arranged that a very accurate pivotal connection is provided, the gears are accurately supported by the pivotal or bracket members and the connectionsof the gears to the various shaft elements are such as not to disturb the bearing relations of the gears with respect to the pivotal or bracket members.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a motor vehicle transmission mechanism, the combination of a housing having diametrically opposed and coaxial bearing portions, a pair of bracket members, each bracket member having an intermediate bearingportion and a pair of arms terminating in bearing portions whose axis is normal to the axis of the intermediate bearing portion, said terminal bearing portions fitting the housing bearing portions, first and second bevel gears carried by the intermediate bearing portions, first and second bevel pinions carried by terminal bearing portions, a hollow shaft connected to the first pinion, and an internal shaft extending through the hollow shaft, the first pinion, transversely of the housing and connected to the second pinion.

2. In a motor vehicle transmission mechanism, the combination of a housing having diametrically opposed and coaxial bearing portions, a pair of bracket members, each bracket member having an intermediate bearing porti'onand a'pair of arms terminating in bearing portions whose axis is normal to the axis of the intermediate bearing portion, said terminal bearing portions fitting the housing bearing portions, first and second bevel gears carried by the intermediate bearing portions, first and second bevel. pinions carried by terminal bearin portions, a hollow shaft-connected to the first'pinion, an internal shaft extending through the hollow shaft, the first pinion, transversely of the housing and connected to the second pinion,

and couplings between the pinions and the shafts and providing for sufiicientplay to prevent pinching.

3. In a motor vehicle transmission mechanism, the combination of a'housing having diametrically opposed bearin portions, a pair of bracket members, each bracket member having an intermediatebearing portion and a pair of arms, one of the arms of each pair having connected thereto a trunnion member while the other arm of such pair has connected thereto a sleeve bearing member, the bracket members being so arranged that the trunnion and sleeve bearing portions are respectively adjacent, said trunnion and sleevebearing portions being supported by the bearing portions of said housing, bevel gears supported by the intermediate bearing portions, bevel pinions meshing with the bevel gears and supported by said trunnion portions, and telescopically arranged shafts connected respectively to thebevel pinions.

4. In a motor vehicle transmission'mechanism, the combination of a housing having diametrically opposed and inwardly-projecting sleeve members providinginternal and external bearing surfaces, a pair of bracket members, each bracket member having an intermediate bearing portion and a pair of arms, one arm of each pair terminating in a trunnion portion having an external bearing surface while the other arm of such pair terminates in a sleeve bearing portion having an internal bearing surface, the bracket members being so arranged that the external bearing surfaces of the trunnion portions fit the internal bearing surfaces of the housing sleeve portions and the internal bearing surfaces of the arm sleeve bearing portions fit the external bearing surfaces of the housing sleeve portions, a pair of bevel gears supported by the intermediate bearing portions of the bracket members, bevel pinions supported by the trunnion portions of the bracket members and meshing, respectively, with the bevel gears, and telescopically arranged shafts connected to the bevel pinions.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

WALTER DOBLHOFF. 

